156 . REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF FISH AND FISHERIES. 



good it is I cannot shew, because it is not eaten by our ISTation. Yet 

 is this a beast, that ought to be placed in the num])er amongst the 

 Commodities of the Country." 



'' The Luseran or Luseret, is a beast like a Catt : but so bigg as a great 

 hound: with a tayle shorter then a Catt. His clawes are like a Catt's. 

 Hee will make a pray of the Deare. His Flesh is daintj' meat, like a 

 lambe; his hide is choise furre, & accompted a good commodity." 



"The Martin is a beast about the bignes of a Foxe. His furre is 

 chestnutt coloure, & of those there are greate Store in the Kortherne 

 parts of the Country, & is a good commodity." (P. 53, Tract 5.) 



" The Racowne is a beast as bigg, full out, as a Foxe, with a Bush- 

 tayle. His Flesh excellent foode : his oyle precious for the Syattica, his 

 furre course, butt the Skinnes serve the Salvages for coats, & is with 

 those people of more esteeme, then a coat of beaver, because of the 

 tayles that (hanging round in their order) doe adorne the garment, & is 

 therefore so much esteemed of them. His fore-feete are like the feete 

 of an ape j & by the print thereof, in the time of snow, he is followed 

 to his hole, which is commonly in a hollow tree, from whence hee is 

 fiered out, & so taken." 



" The Foxes are of two coloures ; the one redd, the other gray, these 

 feede on 11 sh ; & are good furre, the doe not stinke, as the Foxes of 

 England, but their condition for their pray, is as the Foxes of England." 



" The Wolfes are of divers coloures : some sandy coloured ; some 

 griselled, & some black, their foode is fish which they catch when 

 they pass up the rivers, into the ponds to spawne at the Spring time. 

 The Deare are also their pray, & at Summer, where they have whelpes, 

 the bitch will fetch a puppy dogg from our dores, to feed their whelpes 

 with." (P. 54, Tract 5.) 



" The Beare is a t^^rant at a Lobster, & at low water Avill downe to the 

 Rocks, & groape after them Avith great diligence. His hide is used 

 by the Salvages, for garments, & is more commodious then discom- 

 modious, as may passe (with some allowance) with the rest." 



" The Muskewashe, is a beast that frequenteth the ponds. What he 

 eats 1 cannot finde." 



" This Country, in the North parts thereof, hath many Porcupines, but 

 I do not finde the beast any way usefull or hurtfull." 



" Tliere are in those Northerne parts many Hedgehoggs, of the like 

 nature, to our English Hedghaggs." 



" Here are greate store of Conyes in those parts, of divers coloures ; 

 some white, some black, & some gray. Those towards the Southern 

 parts are very small, but those to the' North are as big as the English 

 Cony ; their eares are very short. For meate the small rabbit is as 

 good as any that I have eaten of elsewhere." 



"There are Squirils of three sorts, very different in shape & con- 

 dition ; cS: is gray, & hee is as bigg as the lesser Cony, & keepeth the 

 woods feeding upon nutts." 



"Another is red, and he haunts our houses, & will rob us of our 

 Corne, but the Catt many times, payes him the price of his presump- 

 tion." {P. kii)^ Tract if.) 



" Tlie third is a little flying squirill, Avith bat like wings, which hee 

 si)reads when hee jnnips from tree to tree, and does no harm." 



Snakes. — " The general Salvage name of them is Ascowke. There is 

 one creeping beast, or longe creeple(as thenanuMS in Devonshin*,) that 

 liath a rattle at liis tayle, that doth discover his age. I have had my 

 dogge venomed with tronbling one of these; & so swelled, that 1 

 thought it would have bin his death ; but with one saucer of salet oyle 



